Is moving your business premises worth it?

Assess a business move by comparing relocation with staying put over the same period. Lower rent alone does not establish a saving if setup, downtime, and other expenses are left out.

Calculate costs for both options

Gather ongoing costs and known improvement needs for the current premises. For the alternative, calculate rent, services, energy, and other operating costs. Add moving, furniture, installations, alterations, and any period of overlapping rent.

Check your existing agreement’s termination and restoration terms. Assess their effect from your actual contracts rather than a general assumption.

Assess operational changes separately

Ask what the new premises improve measurably: goods handling, quiet working conditions, customer service, or space use? Describe each effect and its basis. Do not count uncertain sales growth as guaranteed income simply because the address changes.

Consider staff and customer access too. A new space can solve one problem while creating another, such as harder deliveries. Use the same property-visit checklist for every option.

Test sensitive assumptions

Calculate what happens if the move is delayed, alterations cost more than expected, or staffing changes. Distinguish confirmed quotes, reasoned estimates, and unresolved costs.

Compare a smaller change too: could you adapt the current premises or reorganize services? A commercial property consultant can help prepare calculations and options. The decision should show where the benefit comes from and which assumptions sustain it, rather than just identify the lowest rent per unit of area.